Experiments Flashcards
What is a laboratory Experiment with an example?
- Where the researcher directly manipulates the IV in a controlled environment.
What is a field experiment with an example?
- Where the researcher directly manipulates the IV within the realistic environment (e.g a school, a hospital).Pygmalion effect.
What is a natural experiment with an example?
- Where the researcher cannot directly affect the IV as it a naturally setting occurring but still measure the effect on the IV. Earthquake study/covid.
What is a quasi experiment with an example?
- This is technically not an experiment as it involves no manipulation. The IV is on pre-existing differences between people and this IV cannot be changed(e.g sex, age like a study whether boys are more competitive than girls).
Why are experiments a common method used by psychologists?
-Mainly because they allow them to show cause and effect between their independent variable and the dependent variable.
What are strength’s of Lab experiments?
-Because the experiment can be easily replicated, researchers can conduct the same research allowing for a chance to check inter-rater reliability.
-High levels of control over extraneous variable, meaning we can be sure it is the IV causing the change in the DV, established cause and effect.
What are strengths of Field experiments?
-These experiments are conducted in a natural setting meaning they have high ecological validity.
-These experiments have
standardised procedures, meaning the study can be replicated.
-High levels of control on extraneous variables.
What are some strengths of Natural experiments?
-These experiments are conducted in a natural setting meaning they have high ecological validity.
-These experiments investigate unique events that psychologists wouldn’t be able to research due to ethical and practical constraints.
What are some strengths of Quasi experiments?
-External validity because they often take place in natural settings, the findings from quasi-experiments may be more generalizable to real-world situation.
What are some weaknesses of Lab experiments?
-The artificial environment means these studies lack ecological validity, meaning the findings cannot be generalised to setting beyond the experiment.
-Subject are aware they are being studied, meaning they are subject to demand characteristics and therefore produce unnatural behaviour.
What are some weaknesses of Field experiments?
-Because the setting is natural, there is less control of extraneous variable, meaning we cannot establish cause and effect as easily.
- There are some ethical issues, since ppts do not know they are being studied, they cannot give informed consent.
-ppts privacy may be invaded as they are not aware they are being studied which is an ethical issues.
What are some weaknesses of Natural experiments?
- natural events that are studied are rare meaning they may have limited opportunity to generalise to other similar events or circumstances.
-Because the setting is natural, there is less control of extraneous variables, meaning we cannot establish cause and effect as easily.
What are some weaknesses of Quasi experiments?
-Ppts cannot be randomly allocated to conditions as the IV i naturally occurring, meaning we cannot
limit the effects of bias.
